The Boswell Sisters - Circa 1930 - Signed 7 3/4 x 10 Double Weight Photo
Circa 1930 – Signed 7 ¾ x 10-inch double weight sepia toned photo. The inscription and three signatures are all in Martha’s hand.
Large upper left corner bend through inscription. Pinholes to all four corners. The sister’s names block printed under their respective images in pencil, most likely by the original collector.
Inscription on verso, in pencil:
Boswell Sisters
Chesterfield Radio Stars
Columbia Broadcasting
*** From the autograph collection of Jesse Kelly, who worked as an usher at Baltimore, Maryland's majestic Stanley movie palace in the late 1920 to early 1930’s. Jesse as Captain Usher, would coordinate the appearances of actresses promoting their latest films.
The Boswell Sisters were an American close harmony singing trio of the jazz and swing eras, consisting of three sisters: Martha Boswell (June 9, 1905 – July 2, 1958), Connee Boswell (original name Connie, December 3, 1907 – October 11, 1976), and Helvetia "Vet" Boswell (May 20, 1911 – November 12, 1988). Hailing from uptown New Orleans, the group was noted for their intricate harmonies and rhythmic experimentation. They attained national prominence in the United States in the 1930s during the twilight years of the Jazz Age and the onset of the Great Depression.
They sang the lively "Shout, Sister, Shout" (1931), written by Clarence Williams, in the 1932 film The Big Broadcast, which featured Bing Crosby and Cab Calloway. The song—one of the sisters' signature tunes—was described in a November 2011 issue of the music magazine Mojo as "by no means as archaic as its age." They sang their 1934 song "Rock and Roll" in the film Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round, bringing with them an early use of the phrase rock 'n' roll, referring in the song to "the rolling rocking rhythm of the sea".